So, you’ve aced your design projects in school and now you’re ready to take on the professional world.
Congratulations!
However, we know that it can feel like real hard work starts now.
From job hunting, to starting a new routine and reorganizing your life after years of school being your main priority.
And also learning how to navigate the transition from working on student projects to working professionally.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but let’s take it step by step.
Today let’s talk about some differences between school and professional work, and some useful tips to make up for those differences.
1️⃣ Receiving Instructions
In school, you often have very clear guidelines, projects that are broken down into small steps, and some professors that are open to accepting late work.
In the professional world, you are usually just given a problem or situation and expected to find a solution within a certain time frame.
This is when you need to put your problem solving and research skills to work.
Ask as many questions as you can to make sure that you’re clear on the goal of the task.
Take it upon yourself to outline the steps you’ll need to solve the problem.
2️⃣ Skill Set
In school, the main goal of your projects is to develop software skills and learn to apply design principles.
On the job, however, you will be expected to already be proficient AND efficient in your skillset.
In your work, aim to show your mastery of design principles and software (while paying close attention to detail) to meet project deadlines.
You will also need to be adaptable at learning new techniques and workflows to keep up with standards across your field of employment and the design industry.
3️⃣ Collaboration
In the professional world, you will have people that you report to in much higher positions and sometimes in different departments.
So, you need to know how to best communicate with all types of people and understand how to support others through the work you produce.
This will also require that you learn to take feedback from a variety of people, in a variety of ways
💡Remember:
The transition from student projects to professional work may have its challenges, but it’s also an exciting opportunity for growth and development.
Wanna learn more about collaboration in professional spaces? Check out this post.
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See you next time.